* These images show the type of coin you will receive, not the exact item
William IV 1831 proof Crown: a rare and highly desirable British coin, featuring the celebrated mantled shield reverse.
Jean Baptiste Merlen's design shows a quartered shield with the arms of the House of Hanover in the centre, surrounded by the Order of the Garter and surmounted by a royal crown and a draped ermine mantle. The obverse features William Wyon's right-facing bust of King William IV.
S 3833, ESC 271-3, Bull 2460-2
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The 1831 Crown is one of the rarities of the British silver Crown series and is missing from many serious Crown collections. The 1831 date is known for its scarcity, varieties and its much-admired obverse and reverse designs.
The reverse features a design attributed to engraver Jean Baptiste Merlen showing the crowned Royal Arms of the United Kingdom surrounded by a garter and draped with an ermine mantle. The date is displayed below: 'ANNO 1831'.
The bare-headed portrait of King William IV that features on the obverse of this Crown was engraved by William Wyon after a bust by Sir Francis Chantrey. The inscription reads 'GULIELMUS IIII D: G: BRITANNIAR: REX F:D:'.
Crowns were not issued for circulation during the reign of William IV, and all types are rare and sought-after. Proof examples can be found in rare 1831 proof sets. Only about 200 of these sets are known to have been issued.
Several variants of the 1831 Crown are recorded in published guides to British silver coinage with different die axis (medallic or coin) and variant signatures to the truncation of the bust ('W. WYON' or 'W.W.').
* Images courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
